Since the discovery by the University of Dundee Group in the early 1970's, that high quality, low density of states amorphous silicon could be produced from the decomposition of silane (SiH4) gas in a glow discharge, amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices have emerged as a dominant force in the marketplace. These devices are much cheaper to manufacture in comparison to former crystalline devices. In turn, there has been renewed interest by industry in developing photovoltaic panel assemblies which can harness solar radiation and convert it directly to electricity. To this end, a variety of photovoltaic panel support pads and mounting racks have been developed for small scale applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,256 issued to Hauley discloses a solar panel assembly support pad for placement on the ground or other support surface. The support pad comprises a base plate, support means, upstanding longitudinal sides and flange means which is spaced apart and connected to the support means to define an interior section for receiving and holding a weighted material such as rocks.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,943 issued to Withjack discloses an apparatus for delivering electrical energy from a mobile solar energy power source having solar energy collecting means which pivot into a storage base.
U S. Pat. No. 4,371,139 issued to Clark discloses an adjustable mounting rack for supporting photovoltaic panels on a support surface such as a roof. One end of the rack is adapted to provide predominant support of the collector, while the other end is height adjustable to present the collector at a predetermined tilt to the direction of the sun and to accept tension and/or compression due to wind loading.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,422 issued to Van Leeuwen discloses a single pole mounting solar panel assembly comprising at least one solar panel and upper and lower brackets fixed to the panel and to the pole. The brackets are provided with flange means for attachment to the pole.
For large scale applications, the concept of "solar fields" as they are termed in the art, is actively being researched. However, the high labor and material costs normally associated with these structures have hindered their full development and utilization. For example, a typical one mega-watt field might contain fifty-six rows of panels with one hundred ten or more support posts per row for a total of more than six thousand support posts. Each of the six thousand+posts must be individually mounted, oriented and leveled to specification to properly support the solar panels and maintain maximum efficiency of the solar field.
Typically, when mounting solar panels to the ground, support posts have been leveled by hand and thereafter secured by cement footings. Not surprisingly, this procedure requires a multitude of hours and material. Additional expenses are further required to employ highly skilled men and women knowledgeable in the assembly of photovoltaic panels.
These time and labor requirements have been generally accepted by the industry. However, if any one of these factors could be eliminated or reduced, the overall costs of installing photovoltaic panel support structures would be greatly reduced. As a result, the installation of solar fields would be economically feasible and, in turn, solar energy collection systems would be accepted as a true alternative to conventional energy generation systems.